Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 13, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

May 5, 2009Cabarrus County, Mecklenburg County, Union County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this tornado warning at May 5, 2009, 5:50 PM EDT for Cabarrus County, Mecklenburg County, Union County, North Carolina. It was in force for 40 min. 2 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: May 5, 2009, 5:50 PM EDT (21:50 UTC)
Expired: May 5, 2009, 6:30 PM EDT
In force: 40 min
Issued by: NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Cabarrus County, NC, Mecklenburg County, NC, Union County, NC

The radar

The Columbia radar (KCAE), 146 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:51 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
May 5, 5:56 PM EDT	TSTM WND DMG	3 Ne Matthews, NC	TWO TREES DOWN NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF THOMPSON ROAD AND IDLEWILD ROAD BETWEEN MATTHEWS AND MINT HILL.
May 5, 5:56 PM EDT	TSTM WND DMG	3 Sw Mint Hill, NC	ONE TREE IN THE ROADWAY ON HOME PLACE LANE

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
May 5, 5:45 PM EDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 9.8 hours before the alert went out and 116 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.

Mixed-layer CAPE: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 445 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 51 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 173 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 254 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
WFUS52 KGSP 052150
TORGSP
NCC025-119-179-052230-
/O.NEW.KGSP.TO.W.0013.090505T2150Z-090505T2230Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
550 PM EDT TUE MAY 5 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTH CENTRAL CABARRUS COUNTY IN THE PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA...
  EAST CENTRAL MECKLENBURG COUNTY IN THE PIEDMONT OF NORTH
  CAROLINA...
  NORTHERN UNION COUNTY IN THE PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA...

* UNTIL 630 PM EDT

* AT 550 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR MINT
  HILL...OR 9 MILES SOUTHEAST OF CENTER CITY CHARLOTTE...MOVING EAST
  AT 10 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  STALLINGS AND INDIAN TRAIL...
  MINT HILL...
  FAIRVIEW...MIDLAND AND UNIONVILLE...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

MOBILE HOMES AND VEHICLES SHOULD BE ABANDONED FOR STURDIER SHELTER.
OTHERWISE...GO TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST LEVEL OF YOUR HOME
OR PLACE OF BUSINESS. MAKE SURE THERE ARE AS MANY WALLS AND FLOORS
BETWEEN YOU AND THE OUTSIDE AS POSSIBLE.

TO REPORT TORNADOES...DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL...OR FLOODING...
THROUGH OUR AUTOMATED REPORTING SYSTEM...CALL OUR TOLL FREE NUMBER...
1 8 7 7...6 3 3...6 7 7 2.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT EDT WEDNESDAY
MORNING FOR CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA AND CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA.

&&

LAT...LON 3502 8036 3508 8078 3527 8075 3528 8044
      3521 8047 3519 8049 3517 8046 3517 8043
TIME...MOT...LOC 2150Z 273DEG 8KT 3517 8070

$$

BSH

2 follow-up statements

000 
WWUS52 KGSP 052202
SVSGSP

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
602 PM EDT TUE MAY 5 2009

NCC025-052212-
/O.CAN.KGSP.TO.W.0013.000000T0000Z-090505T2230Z/
CABARRUS NC-
602 PM EDT TUE MAY 5 2009

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTH CENTRAL CABARRUS COUNTY IS
CANCELLED...

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT EDT WEDNESDAY
MORNING FOR CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA AND CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA.

LAT...LON 3517 8043 3502 8036 3508 8078 3525 8061
      3519 8051 3519 8049 3517 8046
TIME...MOT...LOC 2202Z 280DEG 14KT 3516 8063

$$

NCC119-179-052230-
/O.CON.KGSP.TO.W.0013.000000T0000Z-090505T2230Z/
UNION NC-MECKLENBURG NC-
602 PM EDT TUE MAY 5 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 630 PM EDT FOR EAST
CENTRAL MECKLENBURG AND NORTHERN UNION COUNTIES IN THE PIEDMONT OF
NORTH CAROLINA...

AT 602 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR MINT HILL...OR 11
MILES SOUTHEAST OF UNC CHARLOTTE...MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH.

OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
FAIRVIEW AND UNIONVILLE

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

MOBILE HOMES AND VEHICLES SHOULD BE ABANDONED FOR STURDIER SHELTER.
OTHERWISE...GO TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST LEVEL OF YOUR HOME
OR PLACE OF BUSINESS. MAKE SURE THERE ARE AS MANY WALLS AND FLOORS
BETWEEN YOU AND THE OUTSIDE AS POSSIBLE.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT EDT WEDNESDAY
MORNING FOR CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA AND CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA.

&&

LAT...LON 3517 8043 3502 8036 3508 8078 3525 8061
      3519 8051 3519 8049 3517 8046
TIME...MOT...LOC 2202Z 280DEG 14KT 3516 8063

$$

BSH

000 
WWUS52 KGSP 052225
SVSGSP

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
625 PM EDT TUE MAY 5 2009

NCC119-179-052236-
/O.EXP.KGSP.TO.W.0013.000000T0000Z-090505T2230Z/
UNION NC-MECKLENBURG NC-
625 PM EDT TUE MAY 5 2009

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR EAST CENTRAL MECKLENBURG AND NORTHERN
UNION COUNTIES IN THE PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA WILL EXPIRE AT 630
PM EDT...

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT EDT WEDNESDAY
MORNING FOR CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA AND CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA.

LAT...LON 3517 8043 3502 8036 3508 8078 3525 8061
      3519 8051 3519 8049 3517 8046
TIME...MOT...LOC 2226Z 280DEG 14KT 3514 8052

$$

BSH

The office that day

Everything else NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 5, 5:22 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Cleveland, Gaston	37 min
May 5, 5:22 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Cabarrus, Gaston, Mecklenburg	53 min
May 5, 5:32 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	GSP	Cabarrus, Gaston, Mecklenburg, Union	88 min
May 5, 7:05 PM EDT	Areal Flood Warning	GSP	Cabarrus, Mecklenburg	3 hr

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in North Carolina, 2009 Every tornado warning in 2009 Tornadoes in 2009

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.